The free Mario update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is live, and players can purchase tons of Mario-themed items, from animated decorations to outfits that transform them into Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Princess Peach. This crossover, meant to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., has been well-received by Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans. Most of the Mario furniture items in the set are purely cosmetic, allowing players to emulate the look and feel of the Mushroom Kingdom but not offering related gameplay features. By far the most exciting item added in the update, however, were Warp Pipes, as these add a new, game-changing feature to Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands. Like the Warp Pipes in the Super Mario franchise, these Pipes connect to one another and allow players to fast-travel around their island home.
No limit exists to bar players from adding as many Warp Pipes to their island as they like, and they are a permanent addition to the world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Warp Pipes open many new opportunities to build secret areas on an island, both indoors and outdoors, that are only accessible via the Pipe system. Players can even create the illusion that the Pipes lead underground. Here's how to use Warp Pipes to create secret, hidden areas in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Use Warp Pipes to Create Hidden Outdoor Hangouts in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Warp Pipes can take players anywhere, making it possible to create secret places on the island that can only be accessed via the Pipes. Using Terraforming techniques, some players have made remote, miniature islands that are unreachable even with a vaulting pole. Placing a Warp Pipe here and another on the mainland makes this remote island a private hangout for players and their friends to visit.
While Terraforming in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it is possible to build cliffs that are too tall to reach using a ladder. Warp Pipes can reach these cliffs, allowing players to build here where they may not have been able to before. With a few pieces of furniture, players can make a cozy hangout, observation deck, or other venue atop formerly unreachable cliffs. They should place one Pipe at the highest point on the cliff, and another on the mainland. Hiding or camouflaging the Warp Pipes on the cliff and mainland can make the area feel even more private and exclusive.
Use Warp Pipes to Create Hidden Underground Rooms in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Though Warp Pipes don't technically lead underground, players can create the illusion of a secret underground location only accessible via Warp Pipes by placing one inside a room of their home or the home of another profile on the island. If players block off the entrance to the room, it makes the Warp Pipe the only way in or out.
Players can recreate hidden coin and power-up areas from the Super Mario Bros. games here, using many of the new decorative Mario items. This will give the illusion of being underground. They can also recreate dungeons from other favorite games, build an exclusive dance club or speakeasy, or create a labyrinth to challenge and reward their friends. Because homes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons do have limited space, creating a second or even third profile and building a new house helps.
It's important to note that, while Warp Pipes can be placed both indoors and outdoors, having more than two randomizes the destination Pipe. While arriving at a random spot on the island can still be fun, players looking to create a secret area they can reach any time they want may want to consider only having two Pipes on the island at any given time to ensure they always have access to that spot.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for Nintendo Switch.